When I decided to get a permit I studied everything I found about dos and don'ts.
1. You loose the right to have a drink while carrying, even if you hold your liquor well. If you have any police contact while carrying that involves your gun and they smell booze you are in trouble. That includes traffic stops in a required to notify state.
2. You gain a large burden of crow because even though you CAN take care of a bad situation you are much better off to be humble and back off. It's not so bad though. I've been in a few where I would have lost my temper before but just knowing what I COULD do kept me calm. Weird. but true. A big reason why follows.
3. You are responsible for whatever damage you cause in defense of your life. If somebody shoots at you and you return fire and shoot out a store window you pay for the glass. If you hit anybody other than the person who actually shot at you, you have committed a crime. It's a heavy responsibility.
4. You gain the heavy responsibility to learn and take to heart what happens if you should even justifiably defend yourself with gunfire. You WILL loose your gun into evidence and likely never see it again. You likely will have to engage an attorney unless the DA agrees you are good. However, the bad guys family can and often will file a civil suit so you still need to have an attorney at your expense even if you get off clean. But no sweat, it probably won't be much over $25K.
There's so much more but I don't want to discourage you. You have to decide a couple basic things. One is can you walk away from a bad thing if it is possible? For example, you may witness an armed robbery, somebody getting the stuff kicked out of them, purse snatching, thieves walking away from your car with your stuff. All events that you might engage in if unarmed. But the fact you are armed makes you the heavy in all these cases. You carry to protect you and you family, not others.
That's tough love brother, but I'll do anything to protect my wife, son and his family and I do understand all the above.
If you want to read an excellent thread on scenarios while carrying read this thread in another forum. I would skip any about zombies invading but there are plenty that relate actual events asking what would you do. This gets you thinking about it and reading other replies gives you insight.
•"Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end." - O. L.
• "America's not at war; her military is. America's at the mall."